The Collected Works of Gertrude Stein (eBook)

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) remains one of the most avant-garde and enigmatic figures in modernist literature. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Stein ventured to Paris where she became an influential art collector and salon hostess for luminaries of both literature and visual arts. Her unconventional approach to language places her within a unique literary tradition, where she cultivated an idiosyncratic style that emphasizes rhythm, tone, and the experiential aspect of writing over traditional narrative cohesion and plot development. Stein's oeuvre is broadly characterized by its experimental use of repetition, playful sense of paradox, and challenge of literary form. Her contribution to the literary canon is evidenced in the voluminous 'The Collected Works of Gertrude Stein,' which encapsulates her lifelong commitment to exploring the elasticity of written expression. Her works, such as 'Tender Buttons' and 'The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas,' have both perplexed and inspired readers, prompting innovative reflection on the contours of language and storytelling. Stein's corpus encompasses not only novels, but also poetry, plays, and libretti, all of which echo her distinctive literary voice—a voice that at once throws down the gauntlet to the traditional narrative and invites the reader to share in the deeply personal culture of her writing life.